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“It saddens us to close restaurants,” Sigurdson said in his statement. “The agreement we signed with the original ownership group was fueled by a deep passion for the Tim Hortons brand. Our franchisor’s repudiation of its obligations under the original agreement derailed our business plan and scared off great new partners, leading us to have to evaluate our operations and locations, both now and in the near future.”

Sigurdson told the Post-Dispatch that his original contract with Tim Hortons agreed to open 40 locations in five years, with an option for 90 in 15 years. But then Tim Hortons was purchased by Burger King, which was then purchased by a Brazilian investment group named 3G Capital.

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The new owners then wanted a new agreement for 205 restaurants within 10 years, Sigurdson said, and he is now in federal court pressing a $50 million lawsuit over the requested changes, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

When Sigurdson wouldn’t agree to a new contract, he alleged, Tim Hortons suspended its national marketing in St. Louis and began charging unreasonable mark-ups on equipment, and refused to approve cart-style kiosks at Ballpark Village, the Saint Louis Zoo, and Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison.

The other locations remaining in operation are in Maplewood, Lafayette, and Frontenac, Missouri, as well as O’Fallon, Illinois.

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